EPISODE · Jul 30, 2026 · 1H 27M
#138 - Ricardo Duchesne - The Greatness And Ruin Of Western Civilisation
from Thinking Class · host John Gillam
Ricardo Duchesne is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian historical sociologist. He studied history at McGill University, received his PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University (awarded the Doctoral Prize for best dissertation of the year), and served as professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick until his retirement in 2019. His major works include The Uniqueness of Western Civilisation, and Greatness and Ruin. In this conversation, we think out loud about: — What made the West so continuously innovative across thousands of years — from the Indo-Europeans through Greece and Rome to the modern era — Why the Faustian drive — the relentless urge to create, discover, and push beyond every known boundary — appears unique to European civilisation — The discovery of the thinking self in ancient Greece and why self-consciousness and reason developed differently in the West — Why the very qualities that made the West great — rationalism, individualism, universalism — contain the seeds of its own unravelling — How liberal progressivism evolves logically from John Locke through John Stuart Mill to open borders and multiculturalism — Why capitalism and liberalism together have created a system that structurally resists reform — Whether civilisational recovery is possible — or whether we are witnessing an irreversible decline Find Ricardo Duchesne: X: x.com/dr_duchesne Books: https://link.amazon/B00NSP1LA Related episodes you might enjoy: — Iain McGilchrist — There Is A Great Deal Of Ruin In The Western World And This Is Why: https://youtu.be/yrlmkVl86-0 — Carl Trueman — The West Killed God. Then It Killed Man. Now Something Darker Is Coming: https://youtu.be/zwhbWVc1PgU?si=za3CftJjNxgiKXBd — Jonathan Rose — What The British Working Class Lost And Who Is Responsible: https://youtu.be/OKHcEo2QrJg?si=BR4hwL26sdoMS8_4 — Pierre d'Alancaisez — The Custodians Of Beauty Became Its Gravediggers: https://youtu.be/KXn2z3mfCDk?si=AHSHOEcfvNNKYq7G The Call of England — a documentary series retracing a 1927 journey through England to discover what remains of the national inheritance: - Watch Episode 1 here: https://youtu.be/muBQWIP6ZQQ?si=T1W7cpepCo-qCwmv - Watch Episode 2 here: https://youtu.be/jbVZfSR3ZF4?si=Sblz4ZW_U2Gh8RWV Thinking Class is a long-form interview podcast on the cultural, historical and civilisational forces shaping England, Britain, the Anglosphere and the wider West. Hosted by John Gillam. ▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkingClass ✍ Substack: https://thinkingclass.substack.com 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/37vvzrlxpo8eORDoTDRtbH 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thinking-class/id1717021615 🐦 X: https://x.com/thinkingclasses New episodes every Thursday at 3pm.
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Ricardo Duchesne is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian historical sociologist. He studied history at McGill University, received his PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University (awarded the Doctoral Prize for best dissertation of the year), and served as professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick until his retirement in 2019. His major works include The Uniqueness of Western Civilisation, and Greatness and Ruin. In this conversation, we think out loud about: — Wha...
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#138 - Ricardo Duchesne - The Greatness And Ruin Of Western Civilisation
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